Epic comeback
Two zero down Lazio score three goals in six minutes and then win 4-2
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had flirted with relegation but had managed to escape and ended up 13th. They had then even qualified for the Intertoto Cup, due to Livorno and Messina dropping out for various reasons.
This year saw the arrival of new manager Delio Rossi, who took derby and relegation battle hero Giuseppe Papadopulo's place.
The main players coming in were: defenders Manuel Belleri (Udinese), Guglielmo Stendardo (Perugia) and Emilson Cribari (Udinese on loan), midfielders Valon Behrami (Genoa), Gaby Mudingayi (Torino) and Fabio Firmani (Catania) plus forward Igli Tare (Bologna).
Over twenty players were leaving Lazio, but those worthy of note were Scudetto heroes Fernando Couto (Parma) and Paolo Negro (Siena) plus the Filippini twins (both to Palermo and then Treviso) and Giuliano Giannichedda (Juventus).
Lazio were in their 5th league fixture. So far, the Biancocelesti had won 2 (Messina 1-0 on debut and Treviso 3-1, both at home), drawn 1 (Cagliari 1-1 away) and lost 1 (four days earlier 0-2 away to Milan). Lazio were currently joint 7th with Milan and Roma on 7 points.
Lazio's season had started in July in the Intertoto Cup (to get into the UEFA Cup). The Biancocelesti had beaten Tampere United 4-1 on aggregate but then been eliminated by Olympique Marseille 1-4 on aggregate.
Palermo had finished an excellent 6th the previous season and qualified for the UEFA Cup. The manager was Francesco Guidolin while top scorer was Luca Toni with 21 goals (20 in A).
This year the manager was Luigi Delneri. The Rosanero had been quite active on the transfer market. The main new players were keepers Salvatore Sirigu (Venezia) and Mariano Andújar (Huracán), defender Leandro Rinaudo (Cesena-back from loan), midfielder Simone Barone (Parma), forwards Andrea Caracciolo (Brescia) and Stephen Makinwa (Atalanta).
Leaving were midfielders the Filippini brothers, Antonio and Emanuele (Treviso) but above all forward Luca Toni (Fiorentina).
The Sicilians had started Serie A well. They had won 3 (Inter 3-2 and Reggina 1-0 at home and Siena 2-1 away) and drawn 1 (Parma 1-1 away on debut). They therefore came to Rome with three consecutive wins under their belts. The "Aquile" (Eagles) were currently 2nd, with Fiorentina on 10 points, two behind leaders Juventus.
In the UEFA Cup they had played the first home leg of the preliminary round against Anorthosis from Cyprus and won 2-1. The return game would be in Larnaca on September 29.
A game open to any result this afternoon. Roman Eagles at home but Sicilian Eagles flying high.
The match: Sunday, September 25, 2005, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A smallish crowd of about 25,000 showed up on a rainy late September afternoon.
Lazio were without César, Gaby Mudingayi and at the last-minute Paolo Di Canio, while Palermo were missing keeper Matteo Guardalben, defender Giuseppe Biava and forward David Di Michele.
The Sicilians started the game a lot better than Lazio. In the first twenty minutes it was all Palermo. In the 7th minute Christian Terlizzi headed just over the bar from a corner. In the 8th minute a low Mario Santana shot towards the far post was deflected into corner by Sebastiano Siviglia. In the 14th minute Eugenio Corini chipped the ball forward to Andrea Caracciolo but his header was high.
Lazio had a few forays into Palermo's half but apart from a few scrambles did not create much.
In the 18th minute Stephen Makinwa for Palermo fired over the bar from a favourable position.
Just after the half hour mark Lazio were finally dangerous. First Tommaso Rocchi had a low shot saved by Nicola Santoni with his foot. Then the Venetian forward arrived just late in front of the keeper on a Massimo Oddo cross.
Just as Lazio seemed to be stirring, the Sicilians scored. On a long kick forward by the keeper, Guglielmo Stendardo and Luciano Zauri hesitated and were beaten for speed by Caracciolo who surged into the area and with a delightful low chip beat Angelo Peruzzi. Lazio 0 Palermo 1.
Lazio pushed forward but following a corner three players, Goran Pandev, Rocchi and Stendardo got in each other's way and the defender's shot went wide.
Santana then almost doubled the islanders lead but his left footed effort whistled past the post to Peruzzi's left.
The last chance was for Lazio but, after Oddo's good run and cross from the right, Cristian Zaccardo anticipated Christian Manfredini and cleared into corner. Halftime Lazio 0 Palermo 1.
For the second half the Rosanero made a substitution, taking Massimo Bonanni off and putting on Mariano González, who played on the right wing while Santana switched to the left.
The change was immediately rewarded as the Argentine scored in the 49th minute. On a high ball Caracciolo at the edge of the area headed down to Makinwa who scooped a short assist past Siviglia and it reached Gonzalez, the sub took it forward a couple of metres and beat Peruzzi from close range with a central left foot.
Doom and gloom for Lazio while Palermo were temporarily solitary 2nd in the table.
Lazio regrouped but needed some sort of spark to reignite this contest. This came from an unexpected source, the Palermo keeper. In the 58th minute Fabio Liverani hopefully hoofed the ball forward to Rocchi but two defenders and Santoni got their first, then the keeper comically completely missed the ball while trying to clear it from just outside the area, it hit Rocchi and spun back into the left side of the area where Rocchi reached it and slotted it across into the empty goal. Santoni to the rescue and Lazio back in it. Lazio 1 Palermo 2.
The visitors looked bewildered and flustered while Lazio suddenly had renewed energy. The Biancocelesti equalised a minute later. In the 59th minute Liverani passed to Rocchi, low through ball to Pandev who stretched and chipped the keeper. Three vertical touches and goal, easy enough. Lazio 2 Palermo 2. The game had changed completely.
If Palermo were flustered before, now they were panicky. Lazio scored again six minutes later. On a freekick from the near the left vertex of the area, Oddo blasted a powerful shot-cum-cross towards the crowded bodies in front of goal where it hit Manfredini's back side and went in. In Italian "un gol di culo (backside)" means lucky in general and there was no denying this one was, literally too. Anyway, apart from with hands and arms (and not always) they all count. Lazio 3 Palermo 2.
At this point Palermo tried to wake up from their stupor. They replaced Santana with Massimo Brienza in the 70th minute while Lazio replaced Liverani with Ousmane Dabo in the 73rd. Brienza almost immediately set up Caracciolo in front of goal but the big forward blasted it into Curva Nord, then a few minutes later Fabio Grosso shot wide.
Palermo were under shock however and showed few signs of life. More substitutions followed, in the 80th minute Simone Inzaghi replaced Pandev and five minutes later midfielder Massimo Mutarelli came on for defender Zaccardo.
In the 86th minute Lazio definitely put Palermo out of their misery. Inzaghi controlled the ball about 30 metres out when suddenly Dabo took it off him and burst down the left of the area where he squared a perfect low ball to Rocchi on the opposite post. It was child's play for the number 18 who tapped the ball and raced towards the entire team, bench and manager for a liberatory and justifiable communal celebration. A remarkable turnaround and Lazio 4 Palermo 2.
The islanders had one last attempt to salvage something but Peruzzi got down well to save a Simone Barone volley near the left post. There was still time for Manuel Belleri to replace Valon Behrami in the 88th minute. The Palermitani meanwhile looked as if they could not wait to go back to Sicily.
In the dying seconds Lazio could have made it five but Inzaghi showed solid sporting values when, despite having a clear run on goal, he put the ball out of play seeing a Palermo player, Andrea Barzagli, down injured. Shades of his team mate Paolo Di Canio in his West-Ham days. From then on Palermo had to play the last few minutes of injury time with ten men but the game had little more to say. Final score Lazio 4 Palermo 2
A memorable win for Lazio. From hell to heaven in six incredible minutes. Those who after 50 minutes were already speaking of Palermo as the "anti-Juventus" had possibly done so a little too soon. The Rosanero were a good team but they had collapsed defensively with all Lazio's goals coming from the left-hand side.
Lazio were now up to joint 4th with Palermo, Milan and Fiorentina and had also gone ahead of Roma. All in all a great afternoon.
Who played for Lazio
Peruzzi, Oddo, Siviglia, Stendardo, Zauri, Behrami (88' Belleri), Firmani, Liverani (73' Dabo), Manfredini, Pandev (80' S. Inzaghi), Rocchi
Manager: D. Rossi
Who played for Palermo
Santoni, Zaccardo (85' Mutarelli), Barzagli, Terlizzi, Grosso, Santana (70' Brienza), Barone, Corini, Bonanni (46' Gonzalez), Caracciolo, Makinwa
Substitutes: Andujar, Ferri, Codrea, Pepe
Manager: Delneri
Referee: Saccani
Goals: 36' Caracciolo, 49' Gonzalez, 58' Rocchi, 59' Pandev, 65' Manfredini, 86' Rocchi
What happened next
Lazio had a good season, at least on the pitch. In January they added midfielder Stefano Mauri to the squad. They won 16, drew 14 and lost 8. They would have come 6th and qualified for the UEFA Cup had it not been for off field issues. Lazio were accused of being involved in the "Calciopoli" scandal and docked 30 points (initially the sentence was relegation), so ended up 16th. The scandal was basically alleged lobbying by certain clubs on the choice of referees.
A pity as Lazio had performed well and had a surprisingly good season in Serie A. In the Coppa Italia they were eliminated by Inter 1-2 (Dejan Stankovic scored home and away) on aggregate in the quarterfinals. Top scorer was Tommaso Rocchi with 17 goals (16 in league).
Palermo did well again and finished 5th (upgraded from 8th) and qualified for the UEFA Cup. After 22 games, while in 12th position, they sacked Del Neri and brought in former Lazio player and manager Giuseppe Papadopulo. In total the Rosanero won 13 (including Lazio 3-1 at home, Roma 2-1 away), drew 13 (including Roma 3-3 from 0-3 down) and lost 12. Top scorer was Andrea Caracciolo with 11 goals (9 in A).
In Coppa Italia they reached the semi-finals. They eliminated Bari 5-4 and Milan 3-1 on aggregate but went out to Roma on away goals (2-1, 0-1).
In the UEFA Cup the Eagles reached the last 16. They eliminated Anorthosis winning 4-0 away then in the group stage topped group B against Maccabi, Lokomotiv Moscow, Espanyol and Brøndby. In the round of 32 they eliminated Slavia Prague on away goals but then fell to Schalke 04 1-3 on aggregate.
Three Palermo players would soon play for Lazio (Bonanni, Mutarelli and Makinwa) while another four (Zaccardo, Barzagli, Grosso and Barone) would win the 2006 World Cup with Italy.
In Serie A the Scudetto was initially won by Juventus but then taken away from them (Calciopoli punishment) and awarded to Inter. Going down were Lecce, Treviso and Juventus (as they were deemed to be the club and directors with the heaviest involvement in the scandal). Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio were all docked 30 points.
The scandal was of course soon forgotten with Italy's World Cup triumph in Germany 2006.
Lazio 2005-06
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 38 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 57 |
Coppa Italia | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Intertoto Cup | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
Total | 46 | 18 | 18 | 10 | 65 |
Top five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Intertoto Cup |
Zauri | 45 | 37 | 4 | 4 |
Pandev | 41 | 35 | 3 | 3 |
Rocchi | 41 | 37 | 1 | 3 |
Oddo | 38 | 35 | 3 | - |
Cribari | 35 | 28 | 4 | 3 |
Dabo | 35 | 31 | 4 | - |
Liverani | 35 | 29 | 2 | 4 |
Top five goal scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Intertoto Cup |
Rocchi | 17 | 16 | - | 1 |
Pandev | 12 | 11 | 1 | - |
Oddo | 7 | 7 | - | - |
Di Canio | 7 | 5 | - | 2 |
Manfredini | 3 | 2 | 1 | - |
Tare | 3 | 3 | - | - |
Lets talk about Massimo Bonanni
Massimo Bonanni was born in Rome on January 11, 2013.
At 17 he joined the Roma youth sector and stayed a couple of years.
In 2001 he moved up to Viterbo on loan to play for Viterbese in Serie C1. The "Tusci" finished 16th and avoided relegation via the playoffs. Bonanni played 29 league games with 1 goal.
In 2002 he joined Panachaïkī in Greece on loan. The club from Patras were in the top flight but finished 15th and relegated. Bonanni played 24 league games.
In 2003 he was sold to Vicenza. The Biancorossi were in Serie B and he stayed two seasons. In the first, under Giuseppe Iachini, the "Lane" (Woolies) finished 13th. His teammates briefly included Lazio connections Paul Okon (1996-99), Ivano Della Morte (1994, 1995) and Fabio Firmani (2005-09, 2009-11). The following year, under Maurizio Viscidi, Gianfranco Bellotto and then Viscidi again, Vicenza finished 17th and then lost the playoff but were then not relegated due to Genoa's wrongdoings. In his second year his teammates included former Lazio Federico Crovari (1998-99). In total at Vicenza Bonanni played 70 games and scored 12 goals.
In 2005-06 he played half a season for Palermo in Serie A. The Rosanero had a good season, under Luigi Delneri (1-22) and then Giuseppe Papadopulo, finishing 5th and qualifying for the UEFA Cup. In reality Palermo had finished 8th but were upgraded due to the Calciopoli scandal. Bonanni played 18 league games with 2 goals (Lecce, Ascoli), 3 games in Coppa Italia and 4 in the UEFA Cup. His teammates included future Lazio, Giuseppe Biava (2010-14), Massimo Mutarelli (2006-08) and Stephen Makinwa (2006-08). Bonanni however left in January and joined Lazio on loan.
In Rome his manager was Delio Rossi and Lazio finished 6th but were then downgraded to 16th due to their alleged involvement in the Calciopoli scandal. Bonanni played 9 league games and 1 in Coppa Italia.
In the summer of 2006, he joined Sampdoria in Serie A but only stayed until January. He played 7 league games and 1 in Coppa Italia under manager Walter Novellino before leaving for Ascoli. The Blucerchiati eventually finished 9th. His teammates included Lazio connections Daniele Franceschini (1995-97) and Fabio Bazzani (2005) and very briefly Christian Vieri (1998-99).
At Ascoli, who were in Serie A, the manager was Nedo Sonetti. The Bianconeri finished 19th and were relegated. Bonanni played 14 league games and scored 2 goals (Inter, Reggina) plus 2 games in Coppa Italia. His teammates included Lazio connections Stefano Lombardi (1998-99), Gigi Di Biagio (1988-89), Ivano Della Morte again, plus former big names Gianluca Pagliuca (Sampdoria, Inter) and Marco Delvecchio (Inter, Roma)
In 2007-08 he spent a season with Bari in Serie B. The managers were former Lazio Giuseppe Materazzi (1-19) and then Antonio Conte. The Galletti (Cockerels) finished 11th and Bonanni played 31 league games with 5 goals (Pisa, Ravenna, Piacenza, Messina, Lecce) plus a game in Coppa Italia.
In 2008 he returned to Sampdoria in Serie A but only played 1 league game and 1 in Coppa Italia, under Walter Mazzari, before leaving in January for Grosseto. Sampdoria eventually finished 13th and lost the Coppa Italia final to Lazio on penalties.
Grosseto were in Serie B. The managers were Elio Gustinetti, Ezio Rossi, then Gustinetti again. The Maremmani finished 6th but lost in the playoff (Livorno 3-4 on aggregate). Bonanni played 16 league games plus the playoffs and scored 2 goals (Sassuolo, Vicenza).
In 2009 he joined Pescara in Lega Pro (3rd tier). The Adriatici won promotion via the playoffs, under Antonello Cuccureddu and then Eusebio Di Francesco. Bonanni played 23 league games including the playoffs with 3 goals (Ravenna, SPAL, Cosenza) and 2 in Coppa Italia with 1 goal (Bellaria Igea Marina). The following year in Serie B he played 35 league games with 5 goals, under Di Francesco and the "Delfini" (Dolphins) finished 13th.
In 2011 he signed for Lugano in the Swiss second flight. He played 28 league games and scored 5 goals plus 2 games in the Swiss Cup. The managers were Italian, first Alessandro Pane (1-8) and then Francesco Moriero (9-30) and "Lügàn" finished 5th.
In 2012 he returned to Italy and joined Grosseto again on loan. The Biancorossi were in Serie B and the manager was Francesco Moriero until early October, Mario Somma until mid-November, Lamberto Magrini until mid-December and then Leonardo Menichini. Amid all this confusion. Bonanni returned to Lugano after playing 14 league games. Grosseto then changed managers twice more and unsurprisingly were relegated.
Back in Switzerland he played 15 league games with 1 goal and FCL finished 7th.
In the summer of 2013, he joined Genoa in Serie A but on July 16 he was banned for six months for alleged corruption connected to a Bari-Treviso game of 2007-08. In 2016 he was then declared innocent but the 2013-14 season had gone.
His last club were amateurs La Rustica in Rome where he played 16 games with 2 goals between 2015 and 2017 as player-manager.
He then retired at 35.
He had further coaching experiences with Ostia Mare U-16's in 2018-20 and Ostia Mare first team in Serie D in 2020.
Bonanni was a midfielder. He could play wide or as a number 10. He was strong physically at 1.90 and 81 kilos. He had good shooting skills and was good at freekicks and crosses. He played 370 games in his career with 41 goals. He played two times for Italy U-18's.
He was only at Lazio for six months and was not a regular, playing a total of 10 games.
Lazio Career
Season | Toal games | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
Jan-Jun 2006 | 10 | 9 | 1 |
Sources
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